Sitting under the stars of UNC’s striking Morehead Planetarium, the Largemouth PR team anxiously awaited the awards portion of the North Carolina Public Relations Society of America (NCPRSA) annual InSpire Awards banquet. The awards honor communications programs that have achieved great success and inspired others across the state of North Carolina.

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I know I'm not the only one guilty of driving on autopilot. It is not rare for me to get into my car and drive my usual route to work without thinking about where I'm going. It's only when something unusual happens – like a car suddenly changes lanes, a great song comes on the radio, or someone in the car asks where I'm going – that I'm stirred out of auto pilot and back into focus.

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I spent the week spreading the great news that our client, United Healthcare, has created more than 1,000 new jobs in North Carolina by its UnitedHealthcare and Optum business platforms. There truly is nothing better than working with media outlets across the state to share good news about a valued client and wonderful job opportunities in my own background.

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Much of a public relation firm’s value is derived from the strength of its relationships with the media. A client’s latest news could make for the most compelling, dramatic, unbelievable story of the year, but if pitched to the wrong person, might never see the light of day.

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Just because you get excited about learning doesn’t make you a nerd. Or, at least, that’s what I tell myself. I’m no dork, just an intellectually curious young professional, and that’s why I love PR.

A career in public relations provides the opportunity to constantly learn more about the world around you. For example, in my first few weeks as an intern, I’ve already learned:

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A week before Christmas, I stood in my kitchen with flour gracing my forehead, sugar dusting the floor and a botched batch of shortbread dough sitting in a mixing bowl, mocking me.

The perfectionist in me was crushed, and the baking connoisseur was utterly embarrassed. I spent a few minutes pondering what happened, asking myself, “Why didn’t the dough come together?”

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I recently attended a press conference announcing the collaboration between UnitedHealthcare and Cornerstone Health Care in High Point, N.C. Helping to manage this press event reminded me how important it is for is public relations professionals to be able to successfully strategize and execute events like this.

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Despite a wealth of changes we've seen in the media landscape over the past few years, there is no denying the perpetuating relationship of the PR practitioner and the reporter. There are certain stereotypes that portray this correlation as one-sided, the PR professional always trying to push an agenda or story angle. The reality is, PR practitioners are not the only ones reliant on this inevitable relationship. Media outlets find value in reliable, honest relationships with PR professionals to source story ideas, connect with experts and more.

This is why I recently jumped on the opportunity for a tour of WRAL-TV studios—one of the leading broadcast television stations in the Triangle.

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There’s a common fear among many PR practitioners:  rain. When it looks like the only thing that could ruin an event is rain in the forecast, of course it is going to rain. Last month, Murphy’s law was in full force at a BP “Olympic Experience” event hosted by Kangaroo Express and partner organization BP.

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The Largemouth team attended the Kangaroo Express Salute the Guard Ceremony last week, hosted by the North Carolina National Guard and the Soldiers and Airmen Assistance Fund (SAAF-NC). During the ceremony, Kangaroo Express presented a $221,000 check to SAAF-NC—the single largest donation received by SAAF-NC since its inception in 2004!

 

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Before starting this blog post, I found myself stumped on what angle to write from. I was aiming for a fancy hook that would make this post newsworthy and appealing to readers. But then I realized that I don't need a hook, my story is already newsworthy.

ALERT THE PRESSES! I wouldn't change a thing about my summer at Largemouth.

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As one of Largemouth’s newest summer interns, I was asked a very important question when meeting to discuss goals for her internship, “What exactly do you want to do when you graduate?”

Though I recognized this was a perfectly legitimate question for a student coming into the final year of an undergraduate career, I wasn’t able to respond truthfully. Like many of my peers, I was unsure what specific professional path I would like to take following graduation, but I do know that establishing my personal brand would be one of my top priorities – confident that once I fully understood my areas of expertise, and accrued diverse work experience, my career aspirations would become clear.

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As a new intern at Largemouth, I’ve been given the opportunity to re-evaluate myself as a pre-professional by setting some goals for my internship. I’m not going to tell you the usual clichés like how I’d like to “break out of my shell” or “go above and beyond.” I do desire these things, but I also prefer to keep my goals practical.

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I recently had the opportunity to attend a Business Wire hosted “Meet the Media” luncheon featuring an impressive panel of three local journalists: News Director of NewsRadio 680 WPTF, The North Carolina News Network and StateGovernmentRadio.com, Rick Martinez; Co-Founder of WRAL Tech Wire and a previous editor and reporter at The News & Observer, Rick Smith; and the Assistant Business Editor of The News & Observer, David Bracken.

During the luncheon, the esteemed panel of guest speakers shared a recipient’s view on media pitching, a truly invaluable skill every practitioner in our industry aims to perfect.  

Here's what they had to say...

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From non-profits in Carrboro to tech companies in Beijing, I thought I’d seen it all. I’ve been fortunate to work with several exciting organizations over the past four years and thought I understood what it meant to be an intern – until I arrived at Largemouth last week.

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How often do you think about your personal electricity usage? Perhaps once-a-month when the bill comes in? Well, our client, Sensus Smart Metering, a Raleigh-based utility infrastructure firm, spends a lot of time thinking about the electricity, gas and water usage of commercial and residential users worldwide. Last week, I had the exciting opportunity to witness the installation of a Sensus smart meter in Largemouth’s backyard, and tell the media all about how the Triangle is quickly becoming the “Smart Grid Valley” of the east!

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Having joined Largemouth Communications as their newest intern, I am beyond thrilled about the knowledge and experience this position will allow me to gain throughout the fall semester. With one successful week under my belt, Largemouth seems like a great fit for me. Provided that it is my dream to become a public relations professional at a high-energy PR agency, I am already confident Largemouth will help prepare me for my future.

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I wasn't around when public relations relied on compiling and mailing press kits, faxing releases or banking on relationships with one or two local newsroom buddies, and I'm glad.  Why? Because there has never been a better time to be in PR than right now.

The game has changed.  PR pros are currently in a transformative stage, evolving, but not just to survive as the fittest among communication experts, but also to rule the tangled infrastructure of emerging media channels and technological trends.  We are evolving to take full advantage of the resources that have been put in front of us, and as a result of society's changing needs, PR skill sets are growing into something a lot bigger than any press release or fact-sheet could ever describe. Yet, we will always remain behind the scenes, speaking through the talking heads and illuminated screens that you rely on.

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Anthony recently wrote about how Plug-In 2011, a national electric vehicle conference and exposition, is taking place at the Raleigh Convention Center this week. Well, we both attended last night's public event, and witnessed an impressive turnout! Here are a few of my Plug-In 2011 highlights:

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